---
title: Theming
description: Use CSS Variables to customize the look and feel of your application.
---
You can choose between using CSS variables or Tailwind CSS utility classes for theming.
## Utility classes
```html /bg-zinc-950/ /text-zinc-50/ /dark:bg-white/ /dark:text-zinc-950/
```
To use utility classes for theming set `tailwind.cssVariables` to `false` in your `components.json` file.
```json {7} title="components.json"
{
"style": "default",
"tailwind": {
"config": "tailwind.config.js",
"css": "app/globals.css",
"baseColor": "slate",
"cssVariables": false
},
"aliases": {
"components": "@/components",
"utils": "@/lib/utils"
}
}
```
## CSS Variables
```html /bg-background/ /text-foreground/
```
To use CSS variables for theming set `tailwind.cssVariables` to `true` in your `components.json` file.
```json {7} title="components.json"
{
"style": "default",
"tailwind": {
"config": "tailwind.config.js",
"css": "app/globals.css",
"baseColor": "slate",
"cssVariables": true
},
"aliases": {
"components": "@/components",
"utils": "@/lib/utils"
}
}
```
### Convention
We use a simple `background` and `foreground` convention for colors. The `background` variable is used for the background color of the component and the `foreground` variable is used for the text color.
The `background` suffix is omitted when the variable is used for the background color of the component.
Given the following CSS variables:
```css
--primary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
--primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
```
The `background` color of the following component will be `hsl(var(--primary))` and the `foreground` color will be `hsl(var(--primary-foreground))`.
```html
Hello
```
**CSS variables must be defined without color space function**. See the [Tailwind CSS documentation](https://tailwindcss.com/docs/customizing-colors#using-css-variables) for more information.
### List of variables
Here's the list of variables available for customization:
```css
/* Default background color of ...etc */
--background: 0 0% 100%;
--foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
```
```css
/* Muted backgrounds such as , and */
--muted: 210 40% 96.1%;
--muted-foreground: 215.4 16.3% 46.9%;
```
```css
/* Background color for */
--card: 0 0% 100%;
--card-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
```
```css
/* Background color for popovers such as , , */
--popover: 0 0% 100%;
--popover-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
```
```css
/* Default border color */
--border: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
```
```css
/* Border color for inputs such as , , */
--input: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
```
```css
/* Primary colors for */
--primary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
--primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
```
```css
/* Secondary colors for */
--secondary: 210 40% 96.1%;
--secondary-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
```
```css
/* Used for accents such as hover effects on , ...etc */
--accent: 210 40% 96.1%;
--accent-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
```
```css
/* Used for destructive actions such as